[Therapy and iron supplements with ferritin iron during pregnancy. Randomized prospective study of 458 cases]

A randomized polycentric study was programmed to establish the effects of daily administration of ferritin iron from early pregnancy to puerperium. 254 women with normal iron balance at the beginning of their pregnancy were randomized receiving no supplements or 40 mg iron daily. At the end of pregnancy iron balance was still normal only in one third of the pregnant women of the first group versus two third of the second group. 204 women who were iron-deficient received daily 40 or 120 mg of iron; in this group anemia developed less frequently (13% versus 29%) and iron balance normalized in one subject on four; the great majority of these women remained iron-deficient. Unwanted effects of minimal or mild relevance, and almost always sporadic were observed in 6.5% of cases and with the reduction or withdraw of the treatment in only 1.4% of cases. These results showed that daily administration of ferritin iron during pregnancy is effective and well tolerated; furthermore they suggest that the treatment must be done with at least 60 mg daily in women with normal iron balance and protracted also after the puerperium in iron deficient subjects.